


Can't Fix What's Not- oh shit its broken

by benguiat



Series: Can't fix what's not- oh shit its broken [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Head Injury, Original Character(s), Phycological Trauma, Rescue Bittybones, Trauma, descriptions of injuries, main focus is on the bitties, skelepreg, the ocs take a backseat tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-03-20 15:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18995338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benguiat/pseuds/benguiat
Summary: Comet, a Sansy Bitty, gets adopted and returned after a week, technically making him a "rescue" bitty due to an assumed delicate mental state. Despite just wanting to go back into his private enclosure at the pet store and be left alone, he's put in the care of a human who fosters rescue bitties, and he'll have to stay with them until they can find someone to adopt him. Or, until he decides to stay with them.(i.e. when they can't find anyone that wants a broken sansy.)





	1. damn who thought being an asshole to everybody would make me feel bad

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not going to pretend I know anything about trauma or rescue animals, or the real life effects of any scenarios the rescue bitties in this fic go through. I do research as well as I'm able, but I have a job and am very tired most of the time and just write angst and hurt/comfort to cope! ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ So please take this fic with a grain of salt haha.
> 
> A few quick notes: there is a Swapfell Sans "Raspberry" bitty in this fic but its not based off of any specific interpretation. Just a funky little dude who likes to yell and has no filter!
> 
> Also, there are multiple nonbinary/gender neutral characters who use they/them in this fic (bc I am just a humble little enby who needs some representation). I've tried to make it as easy to read as possible but I'm sorry if there's some confusion with the pronoun usage!

Ray seemed… ok. As far as humans went, anyways.

He couldn't tell what their gender was at first, though he really wasn't good with telling that kind of thing, anyways. Humans were weird. This one's hair was long enough to touch their shoulders, but it was pulled back in a plain, ungendered way. They were pretty fleshy in general, and wore a big, baggy sweater, so he couldn't tell if they had breasts, out whatever. He just knew that they were "fostering" him until they found him a permanent home, or they would end up adopting him, "if he wanted".

_(when they ended up not being able to find anybody that wanted him.)_

He was technically a "rescue" bitty, just because his first humans had un-adopted him after a week because he wasn't friendly enough for a Sansy. They hadn't even flicked him around or anything, but apparently returned bitties were at a high risk for depression or some bullshit.

Whatever. He was fine, he didn't need to be "rehabilitated", but he didn't exactly get a say.

So, at least Ray wasn't pushy. They asked his name, which, he guess he didn't have one anymore. He wasn't exactly attached to the old one. He told them to go ahead and pick whatever. They declined, insisting he choose something _he_ liked.

It was embarrassing as all fuck for him to have to say it aloud after incoherently mumbling it into the cardboard carrier's wall, but Ray didn't tease him when he said he wanted to be called "Comet".

"Nice," they hummed, "you like space stuff, Comet?"

He narrowed his sockets, though they weren't looking because they were driving. "all sans bitties do."

"Well, I have met a few who didn't care about it all that much," they shrugged, "but I wasn't asking about sans bitties, I was asking about you."

Mmh. They probably thought they were slick. Trying to make him feel special so he'd want to stay with them. "fine. i guess i like'em."

"Well, if my sibling isn't hogging the tv when we get home, I'll put on a space documentary while I make dinner."

He held back from rolling his eyes before remembering they weren't looking at them and he went for it. Now they were trying to bribe him? Please.

"Well, actually, the other bitties might be the ones hogging the tv? I'll see if I can pry them away from it, heh."

That caught Comet's interest. "others? how many rescues do you take in at a time?"

"Oh, I usually foster three or four at a time, not a lot of other people in the area are registered foster homes," Ray shrugged, "We've got two other bitties staying with us right now, but one of them is actually going through the adoption process right now! And there are two more I'm technically still fostering, but we're getting through the paperwork to adopt them. So, including them, there's five bitties I've adopted myself. Seven total."

"geez," Comet scoffed, again narrowing his sockets. "don't you have a life?" Didn't they have a job? When did they have time to themself, did they have any kind of social life to speak of?

They didn’t _look_ offended at his question, but he wondered if they were maybe just good at hiding their feelings. They did work with rescues.

"I didn't really have much of a life before adopting," Ray shrugged, "so at least taking care of you guys gives me something to do."

When they finally reached the house and Ray carried him through the door, they were immediately greeted by several excited voices and the clatter of tiny bones. Comet peeked through the breathing holes in the cardboard carrier, and was surprised to see an Edgy quickly drop themself onto the human’s shoulder via shortcut, a Boss racing over for Ray to scoop them up and deposit them next to the Edgy, and a Raspberry close behind and appearantly preferring to climb up Ray's clothes rather than be picked up.

All three were pretty rare by different degrees, and definitely would’ve been _extremely_ expensive in the store Comet had come from. There’d only been a handful of Edgies and Bosses compared to the more common breeds like Baby Blues and Softies, and he’d never even _seen_ a Raspberry in person before. They must have been a pretty penny…

But at the same time, the closer Comet looked, he noticed they all seemed to be covered in faded scars and filled-in chips and cracks. Perhaps they’d all been rescues Ray had fostered at first.

“MOMMA!” the Boss exclaimed, snuggling up to the human's neck. “I MISSED YOU, YOU WERE GONE LONGER THAN YOU SAID YOU’D BE!”

“ _I_ MISSED YOU MORE!” the Raspberry insisted as they got settled in Ray's breast pocket, drawing an insulted gasp from the Boss. “ARE YOU OKAY? WAS IT TRAFFIC? DID YOU GET TO SEE A FIRETRUCK AND A SMASHED UP CAR!?”

“OH MY GOD IF YOU SAW A WRECKED CAR YOU’D HAVE BETTER TAKEN PICTURES FOR ME!”

“momma.” the Edgy groaned, voice much more subdued and rough. “momma. i’m hungry. wastin’ away. what’s fer dinner?”

“Well lemme get through the door first,” Ray scoffed, blowing a raspberry against their skull, resulting in a very uncharacteristic snort for an Edgy. “Haven’t even taken my shoes off yet, rude boy.”

“YEAH, RUDE BOY,” the Raspberry chimed in, playfully glaring up at said rude boy.

“well geez, sorry, didn’t know my _starvin’_ was such an inconvenience to ya…”

“YOU STOLE A COOKIE 20 MINUTES AGO!” the Boss accused.

“shut up, why ya always gotta tattle-!”

“ _Hey,_ ” Ray interrupted, tone warning, but not too stern. “I was late because I got a call about a rescue. Cricket’s leaving soon enough, his new humans just have to set a date. So I picked up a new guy while I was out. This isn’t exactly a warm welcome, is it?”

All three bitties immediately looked down at the temporary cardboard carrier, and caught Comet blatantly staring. He quickly withdrew, but it didn’t matter anyways because Ray set it down on the table and opened the top up, all _four_ of them now staring down at him. Ray offered him a hand to help him out, and while he really loved not having to do any of the work, he didn’t want any of them thinking he needed their help. He ignored them and climbed out on his own, huffing in exertion on the way.

“You don’t have to be afraid of momma!” the Raspberry said, voice much softer, like they thought he was some broken little thing that needed to be handled like glass. They swiftly hopped out of Ray's pocket to approach him passively, apparently trying to be non-threatening. It wasn’t hard, seeing as they were nearly half an inch shorter than him. “She’s been taking care of rescues for years! We were all rescues and she’s really nice!”

“i’m not _scared_ ,” Comet mumbled, keeping his hands in his pockets and eyes on the ground so he didn’t have to see all their stupid pity faces. “i just don’t need your help. i’m barely a rescue, even.”

There was a beat of silence between them, apparently doubting or completely writing off his words. Ray spoke up, setting the other two bitties on the table to introduce them. “Alright, guys, this is Comet. Comet, this is Chips, Bowser, and Robin.” She gestured to the Edgy, Boss, and Raspberry, respectively.

Comet immediately shot the Edgy a snide grin. “Chips?”

The Edgy's demeanor grew defensive at his teasing, insecurely fidgeting as they rushed to explain. “i just- i like chips.”

The Boss, Bowser, gave them a faux-disapproving side-eye, but there was a distinct fondness to their tone. “He just likes to eat!”

“oh, cool,” Comet mumbled, “we’ve got a lot in common.”

“Good,” Ray chimed in, heading towards the open kitchen and throwing on an apron, “you guys get to know each other and I’ll start dinner. Where are the others?”

“Nap time ran long,” Robin answered, running along the table to catch up to Ray and silently demand to be picked up with grabby hands, “Wemble went to wake up everyone else with Paige!”

“Paige is Ray's sibling,” Bowser informed Comet, trying to be helpful, “and Momma’s doing the legal stuff to adopt Wemble right now! Oh, and Bo, too! Bo and Wemble are siblings, and obviously Momma wasn’t gonna separate them. Oh, there’s also-”

Comet zoned out after that. They continued to ramble about the other bitties, but he really didn’t care. He wasn’t planning on getting attached or even staying long. He just wanted to get back to the store he came from in the first place. Chips apparently didn’t take kindly to him ignoring Bowser, though, and gave him several good nudges when Comet zoned out enough to break eye contact. Eventually the unusually friendly Boss bitty decided they wanted to help Ray and Robin cook, and excused themself, beginning to shout advice to Ray from her shoulder.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Chips started talking at him lowly, arms crossed in what appeared to be an attempt at looking no-nonsense. “alright, pal, i get it. ya don’t wanna be here and ya don’t wanna make friends. that’s all fine’n dandy, i don’t care what yer deal is. but what yer _not_ gonna do is be a jerk and hurt everyone’s feelin’s. capiche?”

“ok,” Comet held back from rolling his eyes. Edgies had infamous tempers and it wouldn’t be appreciated.

“that means if bowser wants t’ramble at ya, ya let’em talk.”

“ok.”

“and if robin wants to help ya’r hang out or whatever, yer gonna let’im, even if ya think he’s annoyin’.”

“ok.”

“same with wemble. kid’s a lot like Bowser and robin, but she don’t have any kinda self-esteem, so if ya brush’er off i’ll make ya regret it-”

“ok.”

“oh my god, are you even listening.”

“eh.”

“cheese and rice.”

 _That_ made Comet snort so hard he almost choked. And when he looked over at Chips expecting some amusement, but didn't find any in his straight face and narrowing sockets. “i’m not kiddin’ around,” he grumbled lowly, so that the others wouldn’t hear his tone. “don’t mess with’em. we’ve all got issues and yer not gonna bring’em up just ‘cuz yer salty.”

“yeah, alright,” Comet mumbled, further retreating into his jacket. He wasn’t about to start a fight with this guy. He knew how Edgies could get.

“same goes fer Ray. she’s feedin’ ya and givin’ ya a place t’stay when she don’t have to.”

“wow, I’m feeling _real_ warmly welcomed.”

“she’s doin’ it ‘cuz she cares, she wants t’help! don’t be a jerk t’momma just ‘cuz ya think yer better than all this.”

Okay, _now_ he couldn’t help himself. “you call’er that when she’s not even around?” Comet scoffed, finally looking back up to find Chips flushed with frustration and face screwed up in a glare. “isn’t all that ‘momma’ stuff for baby blues and cherries? never heard of an edgy being a momma’s boy.”

“ _fuck you!”_ Chips spat, temper finally boiling over in an impressive show of barred fangs and hazy magic in the air. “you’re such an asshole, what’s yer problem!?”

“Chips!” Ray was quick to intervene, sliding a hand between them as Chips stalked closer and closed the distance between them. “Hey, take a step back. Let’s just breathe, okay?”

Immediately, the Edgy paused, still glaring daggers at Comet, but soon enough it faded into a distant confusion like he was coming out of a stupor and couldn’t remember where he was. He seemed to recall it eventually, shame flooding his eyelights before hiding his face in Ray's hand. As she lifted him up to her face, Comet heard him mumble a very quiet, “sorry, momma.”

Comet hadn’t _planned_ to frustrate Chips to the point of an outburst and Ray having to break them up... but maybe it’d get the Edgy out of his face. The human shot him a quick, pleading look, maybe to behave? Whatever. She quickly turned away, speaking to the bitty resting in her hands in hushed tones. Now alone, Comet debated whether or not it was worth it to clamber back into the cardboard carrier he’d arrived in for a nap.

It seemed that nap wasn’t fated to be, however, because Robin had apparently taken a shortcut to the countertop to give Ray and Chips some privacy. Comet pointedly ignored the Raspberry until his shoulder got nudged.

“what,” he droned, not bothering to turn to them and look the other bitty in the eye.

Robin was even quieter than before, sidling up close to whisper- even if it was still a stage whisper, by normal a normal bitty’s standards. “Hey. I know you’re new, and you didn’t know! But you shouldn’t get Chips worked up. He got rescued from a fighting ring and humans used to get a rise out of him to get him to fight. So he can’t really tell that you’re just teasing!”

...huh. Shit.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know! Anyways, you do now, so just be careful when you try to make jokes around him. Bowser, too! They were rescued together.”

Robin went on, trying to make _Comet_ feel better after he’d apparently pushed Chips far enough that he’d started reminding him of his _abusers._ He’d wanted to be an asshole to make sure they got the message he wasn’t there to make friends, not to dredge up old trauma for a bunch of healing rescues…

Ugh. He just wanted to be back at the pet store in his enclosure.

Another human came into the room from up the stairs, presumably Ray's sibling, Paige. They shared the same hair color, eye color, and complexion, but their builds were entirely different. Where Ray was short and stout, they were tall and lanky. They had four different bitties with them, two on their shoulders, two in their hands and clutched safely to their chest.

The two on their shoulders were a Baby Blue and a Lil Bro- two breeds Comet was familiar with, as they were popular ones at the pet store, but he’d never seen any in… such a rough state. Yellowed, thin bones that looked like they’d snap as easily as toothpicks. Dull teeth and faded magic. Their very demeanors were all wrong, huddled up into themselves to make themselves even smaller than they already were, and none of the boisterous or laid-back attitudes that were associated with their breeds.

One of the bitties in the Paige’s hands looked to be a crossbreed. Bone structure clearly that of a Papyrus bitty, fangs that suggested another Boss, but green magic and quiet nature like the less-popular Meek. Comet wondered whether they were crossbred specifically or by accident. They were also heavily pregnant, with what looked to be multiples, and from the looks of it they were due any day now. They also looked exhausted, considering they’d just been retrieved from nap time. The last bitty, another cradled in the human’s hand-

Fucking hell.

Half their skull had been bashed in like it was nothing but eggshell. One eye socket had been completely lost to the gaping hole, and only part of the rim of the other remained. Weak, faded magic was gathered around the inside of their open skull, either desperately trying to protect their fragile insides, or too disoriented to perform any of its normal functions. With it unable to form eyelights, it probably rendered the bitty totally blind. You couldn’t even tell what breed they were, with not enough magic to be able to tell its color, and they themself appearing to be in a catatonic state, with no personality to speak of.

Comet realized he was really out of his depth, here.


	2. guess i just can't help being an asshole lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your comments! I'm really glad people are liking this so far and I hope I don't disappoint haha. I don't have any kind of posting schedule in place because of my job, so as for right now it looks like chapters will just be posted as they're completed. I'll try not to keep you guys waiting for too long ^^
> 
> Also, if there's anything specific you'd like to see from this fic or are curious about, feel free to let me know! I'm much more focused when I have a prompt to work off of, but am very bad at coming up with them :')
> 
> Also also! I drew some refs of all the bitties, if you guys were interested.  
> https://insert-font-name-here.tumblr.com/post/185313783530/some-rescue-bittybones-these-are-boys-from-the

Comet felt a little sick looking at that gaping head wound for too long, and had to divert his attention, turning his head up to observe the Baby Blue and Lil Bro instead.

Both immediately honed in on Ray, perking up instantly but unwilling to interrupt her as she simultaneously comforted Chips and prepared dinner, and the two quickly shrank back into themselves again. Bowser noticed this from atop her shoulder, and loudly announced their arrival so that they wouldn’t have to. “HELLO, DID YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD NAP?”

The pregnant bitty grunted tiredly, looking unamused. The Lil Bro answered so quietly Comet missed it, they and the Baby Blue tentatively reaching out to Ray to be held (which she obliged, kissing both their skulls and letting them climb into her oversized turtleneck). The bitty with the busted skull didn't reply.

"How was school, kid?" Ray asked her sibling, casually juggling four bitties and rolling some kind of dough into little balls at the same time.

"Fine," Paige answered, setting what looked like a repurposed, cushioned sewing basket on the counter and depositing the two pregnant and injured bitties into it. "Have a couple of assignments to finish, so I'm not staying for dinner. What about you?"

They made small talk for a minute or two- Robin began demanding to be picked up by Paige, Bowser eagerly trying to get their attention, leaving Comet alone, other than the two bitties in the basket. Might as well get it over with and introduce himself. Maybe he could get off on a better foot than he did with Chips, or at the very least they might let him get in on that basket action. He was already exhausted.

He turned to them, only to find that the pregnant bitty was already staring, looking him over skeptically before getting the first word in. “New rescue?”

At least this one could admit Comet didn’t look like he belonged here. He was relatively healthy, and 100% trauma-free. “everyone else seems to think so. m’comet.”

They grunted.

Yeah, this bitty possessed much more of the attitude of a Boss, more than Bowser did for sure. And if they _were_ a crossbreed of a Boss and a Meek, it would make sense that the combined attitude and shyness of the two breeds would just result in a quiet, standoffish bitty.

They certainly didn't seem much for talking, at any rate, and that was more Comet's speed. This was probably the “Cricket” mentioned earlier. “can i sit with you guys?”

“Mmh.” Cricket's grunt could've meant literally anything, but he patted the empty space beside him to clarify.

As Comet clambered up into the basket and settled in at the pregnant bitty's side, he cleared his throat and pointedly looked at the injured bitty, trying to project enough intent so that they would know he was directing his words at them. “uh. hi. name’s comet, what-”

Cricket slapped his wrist to get him to shut up, browbones deeply furrowed. “Shush. They’re sleeping.”

“oh.” Comet blurted his next question without thinking. “how- uh, how can you tell?” Not that he doubted it, he was more than eager to believe it. Finding out the injured bitty was just sleeping, and not a lifeless husk was a relief.

Cricket scoffed, even as he shifted around to get comfortable, and leaned against Comet like he was one of the cushions. (Comet had heard the employees at the store he came from complaining about pregnant bitties before- the further along they got, the less they cared about other people's boundaries as they grew more and more uncomfortable. He couldn’t really blame them.) “I’ve known them longer than _you_ have.”

“fair point. ah, what’s their name, then?”

“Socks. Now shush. I want to nap before dinner.”

He couldn’t stop himself from snarking in time, even when making an attempt to not step on any toes. “didn’t you just get _back_ from a nap?”

Cricket shot him the most vicious glare Comet ever seen, eyelights narrowed into dangerously focused pinpricks, mouth curled into a snarl. The pregnant bitty didn’t say anything, just _stared_ , daring him to say one more fucking word to see what would happen.

Comet’s snark died in his throat, and he shrunk into his jacket submissively in lieu of an apology.

So he was effectively trapped under these two until dinner, then. Cricket settled with his head on Comet's shoulder, shoving his arms out of the way and leaning heavily against him. Socks ended up slumping over onto Cricket's chest, Comet stuck beneath the two. At least Cricket was softer than a normal bitty, bones covered in a layer of plush magic.

Dinner apparently didn’t take very long for Ray to prepare, thankfully. Soon enough she was setting out plates and silverware (including the expensive bitty-sized ones), and family-style bowls of eggs, biscuits, and sausage.

Comet’s mouth watered. He hadn’t eaten since he’d been returned to the store- not that the store employees hadn’t offered him food, but what little human stuff he’d tasted outside of the store made the dry pellets offered to him even more unappetizing than they already were.

Paige had apparently already left at some point, so Ray only set the table for one human and eight bitties. After finishing she turned her attention to the basket of bitties on the counter, and snorted finally after seeing Comet's predicament. “Cricket’s already started using you for a pillow, huh?”

“looks like it,” Comet shrugged, “i don’t really mind.”

Cricket huffed, sitting up and reaching out to Ray to make it known he wanted to be picked up ASAP. “I’m uncomfortable all the time and I don’t care if you mind or not. Ray, put me in your pocket. Please.”

Ray delicately scooped the pregnant bitty up and carefully placed him in one of her apron pockets, where he immediately settled in. “Is it alright if you have to hitch a ride in a pocket, Comet?”

“s’fine." She had eight bitties to transport to the table. Comet didn’t think he could afford to be picky about his seat. Climbing onto her offered hand and sliding into an unoccupied pocket, he found that she had cushioned her pockets with soft strips of fleece specifically with bitty comfort in mind. “ooh. i can see why this is a coveted spot.”

“I always get first dibs,” Cricket growled territorially. There was some more familiar Boss-like behavior.

“fair enough.”

Ray scooped up Socks last, and they immediately began stirring at her touch, the scattered magic in their skull growing brighter and more defined, enough that Comet could tell what color their magic was. Yellow- most likely a Softy. One of the most gentle and unobtrusive bitties, good in households with small kids, so easy to please and to care for they were one of the number one recommendation for new adopters.

So it was fucking unbelievable that anyone could hurt one of them so badly.

Though it was difficult to tell when they were sleeping, it was easy to know when Socks fully woke up. They sat up and clung to Ray's thumb, neck craning up to her even though they probably couldn't see anything, and called up to her, voice scratchy and soft and hopeful. "papa? papa, where-"

Comet couldn't see Ray's face, but her voice was strained. "I'm sorry, pumpkin, it's just me."

Immediately, they went limp in her palm, losing interest. Their magic faded a bit again. "oh."

"We're having breakfast for dinner tonight! Eggs, sausage, biscuits and all the fixings, so I can make breakfast sandwiches if you want, or you can just have it all by itself," Ray continued without missing a beat, gently depositing the bitties one by one onto the table. She’d arranged little cushions for them to sit on, cups, bitty silverware, and plates laid out in front of each. The plates seemed to be from some kind of doll playset, given that they were about the size of the bitties themselves.

“sandwich please,” Chips requested as he was sat down. Robin and the Baby Blue- Wemble or Bo, by the process of elimination- seconded the request for sandwiches.

“Alright,” Ray made note as she began dishing out servings onto every other bitty’s plate. The overly large doll plates were a deliberate choice, apparently, given how much she gave them. When she came to Comet’s, she paused. “Comet, did you want a breakfast sandwich?”

“uh.” Comet didn’t really want to admit that he’d never actually had any of this stuff before, and didn’t know what was the better option. Most of the other bitties were staring at him as he clammed up- as if _he_ was the one with scratches and chips and a fucking _hole_ in his head- and he kinda just wanted to hide in his jacket.

Luckily Ray saw his dilemma and offered him a way out. “Why don’t I just give it to you all separately so you can try it, and if you change your mind I can fix you a sandwich, huh?”

While she continued dishing out the food and moved on to assembling sandwiches, Robin excitedly nudged the Baby Blue sitting beside him. “Oh! You didn’t meet the new guy yet! That’s Comet, he’s a Sansy! Comet, this is Wemble, they’re a Baby Blue! And that’s their sibling, Bo, they’re a Lil Bro! I heard Lil Bros and Sansies get along really well, I bet you guys will be really good friends!”

Wemble, the Baby Blue, seemed a bit less shy with Robin’s encouragement. She at least made an effort to smile and mumble a quiet “nice to meet you.” The Lil Bro, Bo, on the other hand, waved indirectly while barely sparing him a glance, and scooted closer to their sister. Bo’s anxiety seemed to affect Wemble more than Robin’s enthusiasm had, and she quickly closed up again. Socks raised their head for a moment at the mention of a new bitty, but wasn’t interested enough to follow up on their brief curiosity.

“hi,” Comet mumbled, feeling awkward. Looking down to avoid Bo and Wemble, he realized how high the food on his plate was piled. “uh, thanks, ray, but i don’t think i can finish all this.”

“Yes you can!” Bowser told him matter-of-factly, somehow having already finished half an entire strawberry-jammed biscuit and a decent amount of eggs. “Those pellets they give you in the store are packed with magic or nutrients-! Or whatever- so they don’t have to feed you a lot of them! This is just regular human food, so you have to eat a lot more of it!”

“...aren’t there pellets dissolved in this stuff? they recommend it in all the bitty care manuals, don’t they?”

“Only because they think it'd be more convenient for you guys to eat less of my food,” Ray answered patiently, “I don’t really think it’s fair to load you guys up on those just so you eat less. I’ve also tried them! And they’re disgusting. I’m not gonna do that to either of us. Did you need me to butter your biscuit? There’s jam and gravy, too.”

Comet refused- partly because he didn’t know any of those tasted like, and partly because he felt like a dumbass asking questions that they apparently thought were obvious, and he just wanted them to stop talking to him.

And _holy shit_ , the food took his mind off it in a second. It was all just as good as it smelled. The biscuits were crispy on the outside and fluffy in the inside, and tasted- uh, good? He didn't know how to describe the taste, actually, his experience with human food was pretty limited. But it was fucking amazing. The eggs and sausage, too. He tentatively tried them together, and promptly had his mind blown. He debated whether or not it would make him sound too needy if he asked Ray to assemble it all into a sandwich for him, but as he looked over at her he caught her as she had just finished fixing everyone else's plates and was only just sitting down to tuck into her own food, which looked like it had gone cold. He decided to just grab handfuls of each and eat them all at once. Maybe a little messier, but, eh.

Chips, who'd surprisingly sat down next to him willingly, nudged his arm to get his attention, though he wouldn't look Comet in the eye.

"uh. yeah?" Comet spoke through a mouthful, relishing Robin and Bowser's obvious distaste out of the corner of his eye.

It took Chips a couple seconds more to actually speak. When he finally did his voice was quiet and mumbly, and he fidgeted anxiously. "mmn… robin said ya were jus' kiddin' earlier… i'm... not really good at bein' able to tell that kinda thing… and i can’t really help it when i loose it, so..." It took another few seconds, but he finally met Comet's eyes, even if only for a fleeting moment. "m'sorry. 'bout yellin', and stuff…"

Huh. That wasn’t what Comet was expecting.

“um.” he blurted intelligently. “yeah. ok, i guess? it’s cool.”

Comet was only able to stew in his confusion for moment, because Chips only gave him one more quick nod before looking up to Ray expectantly. She'd been watching the whole thing with an encouraging smile. So Chips probably either _hadn’t_ apologized of his own choice but given in at her prodding, or had done it just to seek her approval. Either way, Comet wasn’t impressed anymore.

Other than that brief interaction, Comet ate in silence. Cricket, expectedly, was content in keeping to himself as he ate, while Bowser chatted with Robin and Wemble. Chips and Bo spoke to each other in hushed tones, and Socks sat with their head down and their hands in their lap, eerily silent.

Red gently rubbed the back of their vertebrae, being careful of the gaping hole in their skull. "Sweetheart, would you try eating something for me, please?"

Cricket took notice of her pleading and chose a more direct route. The pregnant bitty grabbed a chunk of egg from Socks' plate with his bare hands and thrusted it at the Softy. How motherly. "There, that's easy to eat. If you don't, you know you'll have to take those gross supplements instead."

Socks nibbled at the chunk halfheartedly and managed to finish it, but stopped after that, even with Ray and Cricket’s prodding. Ray gave up after a while, playing with her own food despondently. It was the most real Comet had seen her so far, with her being all smiles and kind words unto this point.

It was over nearly as soon as it came, though, and she was back to smiles in under a minute. “How’s the food, guys?”

“IT’S WONDERFUL, THANK YOU, MOMMA!”

“DELICIOUS AS USUAL!”

“mmh, s’great, momma. c’n i have more gravy please?”

“It’s good, thank you, Ray. Would you butter another biscuit for me?”

“I-It’s very good, miss momma!... Um, could Bo and I, maybe, have seconds, please?”

“i-i really like i-it…”

Ray stood up to begin assembling all the requests, wiping a smear of jam from Bo’s skull as she passed by. “Heh, I can tell. Half of you are wearing it!”

Like some kind of reflex, Comet rolled his eyes and groaned at the ass kissing the other bitties were doing. After Ray had purposefully prompted them to to make herself feel better. He snarked without thinking. “why’d you even _ask_ , then. so you could get a quick ego boost?”

 _That_ wiped the annoying smile right off her face, and for a split second he was fucking ecstatic to see it gone. Just for a second.

Then he remembered, a minute too late, he was kinda trying to _not_ to be an asshole right now. Ray, looking embarrassed, quickly dished out the last of the requested seconds and left to get started on cleaning the kitchen- she hadn’t finished her own food- and the rest of the bitties were staring at him slack-jawed in shock and disgust. It only took a moment for Chips’ expression to morph into absolute rage, magic flaring up threateningly once again- Bowser had to rush over to seperate them. Bowser themself, along with Robin, looked more dumbfounded than anything else. Wemble and Bo looked horrified, before Comet met their gazes and they quickly huddled together and hung their heads to avoid him again. Socks’ mouth turned down into a slight frown.

Cricket punched Comet's arm without reservation, furiously hissing through his teeth. “ _What the hell is wrong with you?_ ”

So much for getting off on the right foot with any of these guys. He might as well have tripped and shoved his foot up their asses.


	3. wow! it's possible to chill out a little, actually

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter really did not want to be written! Between writer's block and irl stuff, it was kinda hard to get this out, and it seems a lot shorter to me, so i apologize for that! Hopefully chapter 4 is longer and out sooner, because im really looking forward to writing it.
> 
> Quick note! I've gone back and edited the last 2 chapters because of minor changes: Cricket now goes by he/him, and Wemble goes by she/her. I bit off more than i could chew with five nonbinary characters, and it got difficult to read and write that many gender neutral pronouns. ^^; Bowser, Socks, and Bo all still go by they/them.
> 
> Also a big thank you and shoutout to my new beta reader! I can already tell this is a huge improvement from the last two chapters, so go give her some love at https://otomecrazy.tumblr.com/  
> Thank you again!!

Somehow, Ray seemed to have forgiven Comet’s snide remark after only a few minutes. Another smile was plastered on her face the next time she came to the table to gather up dirty dishes, like nothing had happened. Comet concluded that her work with rescues probably gave her ample time to perfect hiding her emotions; she still had to have been upset.

The other bitties weren’t anywhere near as willing to just forget about it. Cricket demanded to be taken back to the basket (making an effort to be polite to the human, but definitely not to hide his disdain for Comet). He took Socks’ arm to bring them along, and the Softy didn’t raise any protest. Wemble asked if she and Bo could “help” Ray with the dishes, and she deposited them onto her shoulders. Chips huffily asked if they could watch TV, “they” presumably being himself, Bowser, and Robin.

"Sure," she nodded distractedly, beginning to wash the dishes (Wemble and Bo “helping” from her shoulders), “just don’t fight over it, choose something everybody likes.”

“I don’t want to watch tv,” Robin protested as he turned to Comet, still determined to be friends, apparently. "Unless Comet would like to join us! Do you want to choose something, Comet?"

Chips wasn't having it. "no, c'mon. ugh, i'll even put on robin hood fer ya."

It seemed to be the right thing to say, because Robin instantly backpedaled and allowed Chips to take them through a shortcut. He could be heard shouting enthusiastically from the living room. "I  _ KNEW _ HE’D WIN YOU OVER EVENTUALLY!"

That left Comet and Bowser alone on the kitchen table, and staring at each other awkwardly. Bowser looked nervous, or at least unsure of how to proceed, after his comment at dinner. Not that he had any more idea than they did.

“...It’s okay, I guess.”

“ _ what? _ ”

“Robin Hood? It’s alright.”

“oh.” Yeah, that was what he thought. No way they’d just forgive him for being a dick- even if Bowser was being way nicer than he probably deserved, they would probably want him to apologize first. Which, he was going to, eventually… if he could get Ray alone. He didn’t need a bunch of people breathing down his neck while he talked to her. He could apologize to her in private, then she could tell the other bitties everything was cool-

“Well, Robin Hood IS pretty cool, so I understand why Robin-  _ our _ Robin likes the story! But he ONLY likes this weird old cartoon for babies…” Bowser rambled awkwardly and interrupted Comet’s train of thought, sounding like they were talking more to themself than to him. (Or maybe it just sounded like that because Comet didn’t really care?) “Did you want to watch it? Maybe you’ll like it?” Their face scrunched up as they spoke. “I don’t know why you would, though…”

“uh. nah,” Comet declined. “don’t think chips would appreciate me there, anyways.”

“Oh.” Bowser twiddled their thumbs and didn't acknowledge the bit about their brother, perhaps trying to pretend there wasn't any conflict between the two. “Well, we could find something else to do instead! Why don’t I give you a tour? You’ll be staying here a while, so, might as well! You already know where the kitchen is, and the living room is just over there, so we should start with-"

"actually, i'd rather just be alone for a while," Comet cut them off, hoping his choice of words was more polite than just telling them to shut up.

"Oh. Of course!" Bowser only looked dejected for a second before perking up again, ever helpful. "We have designated 'alone time' spots all over the house momma set up for us, just in case we need it! I can take you to one right now!"

Bowser grabbed his hand before he could snatch it away, and they pulled him through a shortcut, dropping them both off on the ground in front of a pantry about 10 feet from where Ray was washing dishes. The Boss bitty dropped his hand just as soon as they'd taken it, not forcing any more contact than was necessary, which was appreciated. They ushered him inside, showing him to a plain cardboard box nestled in the corner.

"Over here, this is it!" Bowser lifted a flap of cardboard acting as a door to show him the inside, furnished with a throw pillow, soft blanket, and some kind of box with buttons on it. "It's nice and cozy in here, and that's a white noise maker! It makes different relaxing sounds!" They demonstrated by smacking a button on the small box, and it played something like a blowing fan. "You can fiddle with it and see which ones you like! I'll let momma know you're having some alone time. Enjoy!"

With that, the Boss bitty left, on foot rather than by shortcut, sprinting over to the kitchen sink to tell Ray.

Comet eyed the setup. It looked pretty cozy with the blanket, and the others’ voices were drowned out by the white noise thing. Having so many people in his face at once had really made him miss his tiny enclosure at the pet store. Even the humans that had adopted him for a week were sometimes just too much, and he'd needed to hide away under a bed or inside a sock drawer for a couple hours to recharge.

Maybe that was why he was so quick to snap at everybody. Probably why his humans returned him…

Whatever.

He was going to apologize to Ray and everything would be hunky dory. He kind of  _ had  _ to make things work, because he was stuck here anyways, until she found someone that wanted him. Someone who  _ wanted _ a rude, snarky Sansy...

Whatever.

He played around with the white noise thing until he hit a setting that sounded like pitter-pattering rain. There were others that sounded like running water and rolling thunder, but the rain sounds made him think of chilly, slow days at the pet store where he could curl up and get some sleep, without nosy humans shoving their faces up against his enclosure.

And this "alone time" box was warm, quiet, dark, and smelled like spices... Ray seemed to know exactly what bitties liked- or she knew more than the pet store did, at least. Comet was out cold pretty much as soon as he wrapped himself up in that big, soft blanket.

When he woke up, he was definitely feeling better, or at least less like he'd snap at anyone that looked at him funny.

He realized a second later that he'd woken up, because Wemble had poked her head in and rapped her knuckles against the cardboard. "Um, hi," she mumbled tentatively, shuffling her feet nervously even as she made an effort to smile. “I just- I came to tell you it's, um, time to get ready for bed, now!”

“oh. okay, sure,” Comet slurred, rubbing the sleep from his eye sockets and forcing himself out of the cozy box. He wouldn’t have minded spending the night in it, honestly. It was probably the best nap he’d ever had. Maybe he’d ask Ray about it after she helped get everyone to bed.

He followed Wemble out of the “alone time” box. Bo was standing just outside of it to grab their sister’s hand as soon as it was in reach, shying away from Comet entirely by putting Wemble between them. He tried to ignore it and went about as if he didn’t notice it. “so. what’s the ‘ready for bed’ routine like?”

“Oh,” Wemble seemed taken aback by his willingness to engage in conversation, and Bo mirrored the same wide-eyed surprise from behind her. “Um- well, bathtime- it’s just bathtime and putting on our pajamas!”

Then Bo actually tried to speak up a bit, perhaps encouraged by their sister or by Comet’s improved attitude. As they insisted on hiding most of their face in their coat, their voice was very soft and muffled, and Comet had to lean in to hear them properly. “some… s-sometimes, miss momma reads to us… or puts on the tv, o-or music…”

"cool." Maybe simple conversation was just the way to go for now? Short responses and giving himself time to think them over. Probably best to be extra careful from now on, especially around Wemble and Bo. These two seemed like they were still recovering from whatever kind of home they'd come from, and he doubted they'd take it well if his snark was directed at them, not to mention the others. There was still some lingering aches where Cricket had punched his arm.

Ray was standing at the pantry door ready to pick them up, the other seven bitties already somewhere on her person, or sitting in the cushioned basket she held in one arm. She still had that look that was just a little too pleasant. Ray was pretending everything was fine while Cricket was giving him a vicious stink eye, and Chips was so dedicated to ignoring Comet that he’d turned his entire body the opposite direction to avoid eye contact.

Wemble and Bo were tucked into the human’s oversized turtleneck again, as they seemed to prefer the closeness to her, while Comet was offered either the basket or her shoulder. Cricket and Chips were both in the basket, and Chips had even turned his head just to give an intimidating glare. Ray’s shoulder was clearly the better option, even if it was uncomfortable and he had to grab her ear to keep his balance.

The bedtime routine started in the bathroom, up a flight of stairs on the second floor. Right away Comet could see some bitty-sized products around the sink- little towels, washcloths, toothbrushes, even one of those expensive bitty showers with the little curtains for privacy! Comet had always seen them on display at the pet store, but they weren’t allowed to actually use them. They were display  _ only,  _ and letting all the bitties bathe themselves one at a time would have been time consuming. The most they’d ever get was a quick wipe-down with a scratchy washcloth, which Comet would usually refuse anyways. Like  _ hell _ he was going to strip in front of a bunch of humans.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be in the minority with his opinion. Ray set them all down on the countertop, and most of them seemed perfectly content to strip down to their bare bones while she set up the shower and filled the sink with soapy water. Only Bo and Cricket kept their clothes on, but Cricket might have just been putting it off as he helped Socks keep their shirt from getting caught in the jagged edges of their open skull.

“Alright, Comet,” Ray explained after finishing the setup, “So, we usually do group baths in the sink, or you can wait your turn to use the shower.” As she spoke she started helping Cricket climb into it, fully clothed. The pregnant bitty waited until she’d completely closed the curtain for him to start undressing, tossing him clothes onto the countertop outside. “Cricket has first dibs as usual, then Bo, so you’ll have to wait a couple minutes.”

“i’ll just use the shower,” Comet mumbled. He turned to watch Boswer, Chips, and Robin as they climbed into the sink together without any issue, but looked away soon afterwards. The amount of scratches, chips, and bite marks (???) all over their bones made him queasy.

He walked over to the shower to wait next to Bo. Wemble was by their side, carefully folding Cricket’s discarded clothes for some reason. He tried to come up with easy conversation, since they seemed to be warming up to him somewhat. “hey. um, i like your coat.”

Bo’s coat was really more of cloak that covered them skull to toe, but whatever it was, it looked warm and comfortable. They covered up their face again, but not before Comet saw them blush. Their magic was a dull color, like muddy gold that almost looked like ash. “oh… thanks. i-i... um. i-i made it…”

“oh, cool,” Comet blurted, genuinely impressed. At first he thought it’d just been store-bought because of how small the stitches were, no human could have made them bitty-sized like that, only a machine or an actual bitty. He’d never met, or even thought of a bitty making their own clothes before, though. “maybe you can teach me. looks real comfy.”

“They could make you one!” Wemble chimed in, not stuttering or fumbling with her words while she was excited. “My sibling is very good at sewing, they’re a lot faster than I am. They made my clothes too!” She had already finished folding Cricket’s clothes, and with her hands free she pulled off her dress and held it out to Comet.

Comet tried not to think about how thin and brittle her bare bones were. Instead, he reached forward to thumb the material and study the tiny stitches close up. “wow. Nice.”

“d-do you... did you w-want one?” Bo asked shyly. 

Wow. It only took a couple of conversations that weren’t outright hostile, and they were offering to make him clothes for him?? “i mean, only if you want to.”

They shrugged. “i like sewing…”

“okay. thanks.”

Bo seemed pleased with themself, and Wemble grabbed their hand and encouraged it. "See? See, Robin was right, he was just a little… cranky before," she whispered, as if he wasn't directly behind them and couldn't hear. "He just needed some alone time to calm down!"

"...l-like… um, like i-i do sometimes?..."

"Yeah, just like you! You've got stuff in common! And you just made a new friend!"

"...i-i did?"

"You did! All by yourself! I'm proud of you, Bo!"

Huh.

Comet was pretty sure it didn't work that way. You didn't have two conversations consisting of mostly small talk and suddenly become lifelong pals. But for these kinds of bitties, maybe small talk was some feat of strength enough to build friendships over?

Bo's skull lit up at the prospect of having made a friend, and in their excitement their coat slid away from their face where they were starting to smile a bit.

So, sure. What the hell. 

Looked like Comet had made some friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any prompts, suggestions, or anything you'd like to see out of this fic, please comment or let me know on my tumblr! I work a lot better with comments and prompts to work off of!  
> https://insert-font-name-here.tumblr.com/


	4. i'm an asshole but at least i can admit it lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the wait!!! IRL stuff and writer's block is constantly kicking my ass.  
> At the moment I'm trying to participate in kinktober, and I'm also working on a oneshot about Cricket and his life before he started living with Ray! This fic is now listed as being part of a series, so if you're interested in reading the oneshot when it's published you can subscribe to this series or wait for an update on my tumblr! Not sure how long it will take, but I've got a little more than half of it finished at the moment.
> 
> alright thank you all for reading I hope you enjoy!!

It took about a half an hour for Comet to get his turn with the shower. Cricket took his sweet time with it, and made no effort to even look sorry about it. He _apologized_ , sure, but he certainly didn't _look_ sorry.

The whole time, Comet held back from telling Cricket to just hurry the fuck up. It wouldn't have gone over well. Comet settled for narrowing his eye sockets at Cricket, who looked much too pleased as Bo insisted the pregnant bitty take his time. Bo didn't seem to care in the slightest, and no one else paid it any mind.

(you don't get to use pregnancy as a free pass to be an _asshole_ and use up all the hot water before anyone else can even get a chance to _try_ the damn thing-)

Cricket settled down beside Socks and began carefully cleaning the jagged edges of the hole in their skull with a bitty-sized washcloth. Comet made a conscious effort to try to stop thinking of Cricket as an asshole.

Bo hardly took any time at all; they jumped in, shucked off their coat from behind the curtain, and only took the time to rinse themself off before wrapping themself in a towel and hastily rejoining their sister. Wemble hadn't even been waiting to use the shower, merely keeping Bo company. She had joined Chips, Bowser and Robin in the sink for a bath once her sibling was occupied.

Once he finally got his turn, the bitty-sized shower quickly melted away Comet’s frustrations; it was like a little piece of heaven. Hot water, privacy, fancy soap that smelled all flowery- no way Comet would ever be able to go back to quick washcloth wipedowns, he was officially spoiled. He understood why Cricket took so long, now, and Comet took his damn time since there was no annoying humans or other bitties prodding him to hurry up.

He might’ve taken a little more time than he should have. By the time Comet had turned off the water and peeked out of the curtain to grab a nearby towel, all the other bitties were already dried off. Ray was nowhere to be seen, but he quickly took note of the sound of running water in the human-sized shower. She'd just waited to wash off until after all the other bitties had finished.

None of the others had any pajamas yet, which Wemble had said was part of the bedtime routine. Ray hadn’t brought in a change of clothes for them, and they were all wrapped up in their towels, patiently waiting for the human to finish up her own shower. 

Comet’s clothes had been moved while he showered, so despite not being as brazen with his bare bones as the others, it looked like he would just have to deal with it for now. At least the bitty-sized towels managed to cover him head to toe.

Still getting side eyes and glares from Cricket and Chips, Comet shuffled over to where Wemble and Bo were sitting and uncertainly asked to join. They were all supposedly friends now, and he was pretty sure friends hung out together or something. “hey. can i sit with you guys?”

Wemble perked up instantly and nudged her sibling, prompting them to reply. Bo nodded, looking just as uncertain as Comet felt, but they managed a little smile anyways. “y-yeah, sure.”

He’d barely sat down before Wemble started engaging him in conversation. "Did you enjoy your shower? You took a while!" At her own words, she began fidgeting nervously. "Not that that's- I didn't mean it as a bad thing!! Me and Bo hadn't even seen one before coming here! So it's completely understandable if you got excited! Y-You don't have to rush!"

"uh… yeah." Comet mumbled, unsure of how to respond. After Chips’ warnings (and threats) he was going to be… careful? He was going to try to be more careful with his words so she didn’t think he was annoyed with her. Chips had mentioned she had low self-esteem, or something.

"we had a couple of those bitty showers back at the store i came from," Comet changed the subject by answering Wemble's original question. "we weren't allowed to use 'em, though. they were display only or boxed up... pretty cool to finally try one out. nice and private. not a whole lotta that at the store."

"oh," Bo drew their knees up to their chest and leaned forward a bit. "t-that's why y-you... why y-you like miss momma's a-alone time boxes?..."

"uh, kinda? i guess. it's also just real comfy in there. heh, i’d be fine spending the whole night in one, was thinkin' of asking Ray if she minded."

"Oh! Well, I'm sure she wouldn’t, but," Wemble said, back to her previous enthusiasm, "Miss Momma also has a bitty house for us when we don't feel like sleeping with her! There's four rooms, Cricket and Socks usually share, and Bo and I are sleeping there less and less, so there's plenty of room!"

"u-um, wemble," Bo tugged on their sister's towel to get her attention, hiding their face in their own towel as they stuttered. "i-i was… i w-was gonna a-ask if we… ask if w-we could just s-stay in o-our room tonight…"

Wemble visibly faltered at the request, her smile falling instantly. She quickly replaced it, though it didn't reach her eyelights, which had shrunk to pinpricks. "We slept in that room last night. I thought w-we decided we were going to take turns..."

Bo pulled their towel over their head like a hood and hugged their knees. "w-we- i-i dunno- i can't sleep w-when we're i-in miss momma's bed… a-and our room- it's a-all warm and cozy and it has our nightlight…"

"Its stuffy a-and too cramped, and that nightlight is too bright. I can’t sleep in there. Miss Momma's bed has a lot of space to stretch out, and fresh air-"

"i-it's freezing a-and _too big_ and- a-and _anything_ could be i-in the dark. h-how c-can you _s-sleep_ through that-"

Comet was completely forgotten at this point, the two siblings going back and forth with no end in sight. Feeling uncomfortable, out of place, not really understanding the argument and _really_ wanting to put an end to it, he spoke up over them. “uh, one of you can sleep in your own room and one of you can sleep with ray? separately?”

He could have blinked and missed the sudden change in the mood. In an instant Bo was withdrawing from within their towel to frantically grab at their sister’s arm. Tears gathered at their sockets as their voice grew uncharacteristically loud, “w-wait, no, please d-don’t! _p-please_ don’t l-leave me a-alone! i-i’ll... w-we can s-sleep there- with miss m-momma tonight! i’m s-sorry-”

“Bo, stop,” Wemble said, voice firm and steady, but her eyelights small and shaky. “Calm down, okay? I promise I’m not going to leave you by yourself, but I need you to calm down-”

Instead of calming down, Bo sobbed. “ _i’m sor- i-i’m s-sorry! please d-don- don’t leave m-me!”_

Comet's soul felt like it was being wrung out as he watched Bo cling to Wemble and weep against her shoulder. He didn't mean to make them cry, _fuck,_ he didn't know! A small part of him wanted to try to help, and a larger, louder part of him told him to sit down and shut up before he made things worse.

"what'd ya do _this_ time?" Chips was suddenly storming over to them, though the fluffy towel wrapped around his shoulders made him seem less intimidating than he probably wanted to. Bowser was already on their feet to break up a fight, but before they'd taken even two steps Wemble had already calmed Chips down.

"Comet didn't do anything, he just didn’t know,” She stroked Bo’s skull and grew quiet. "Just- j-just leave us alone, let m-me handle this…”

 _“What’s going on?”_ The water in the human-sized shower shut off as Ray called out, voice strained. _“Everything alright, guys?”_

“DON’T WORRY, WEMBLE’S GOT IT UNDER CONTROL, MOMMA!” Bowser informed helpfully.

_“...Alright, well, I’ll be out in a minute, okay?”_

“OKAY, MOMMA!” Bowser shot back, going to work in ushering Chips away. He went without a fuss, though not without an empathetic frown and a scrutinizing glare to Bo and Comet, respectively. Once Chips had rejoined the others, Bowser turned to Comet with a concerned smile. “Hey, we should probably give Bo and Wemble some space?...”

Oh. Yeah. Probably.

Bowser offered their hand to help him up, though Comet ignored it in favoring of hoisting himself up. Bowser visibly faltered, but rebounded quickly, trying to guide him over to the others. Comet ignored them again, finding himself a spot far away from the group, and far from Wemble and Bo.

Unsurprisingly, Bowser followed. “Can I sit with you?”

“...yeah.”

Bowser wasn’t all that bad. No, scratch that- honestly, they weren’t bad at all. A little too enthusiastic for Comet, but they’d only been nice to him all night, and really seemed like they just wanted to help. Maybe…

“hey. bowser. could i, uh, ask you something?”

Their face lit up and their eyelights brightened. “YOU JUST DID! NYEHEHEH.” They looked pleased with themself before clearing their throat and sobering up again with their usual, helpful smile. “Now, being serious; of course, you may ask me anything! Ask away, friend!”

Wow, look at Comet go: three friends in one day. (although, he was pretty sure two of them already hated him again. he didn’t think friends sent each other into panic attacks.)

"can you just tell me what everyone's deal is?"

"...Deal? What do you mean?"

"like, what everyone's problem is-" Comet cringed and lowered his voice. "that wasn't the right word. i mean, like… i _know_ i made bo upset, and i don't really know what i _did_ to make them so upset, so, could you just… tell me everyone's tragic backstory already so i know what _not_ to do around them."

“Oh…” Bowser’s smile finally fell into a frown, almost a grimace. They lowered their eyes uncomfortably. “Well, I… I would _like_ to help with that. But that’s- it’s a very _private_ thing… it’s really up to them whether or not they want you to know. It’d be very rude for me to tell you without their permission…”

Comet sighed and rolled his eyes by force of habit, but he wasn’t _actually_ all that mad, just frustrated. It made sense for the others to be private about their past homes. It sure as hell wouldn’t get Comet any brownie points to go snooping around behind everyone’s backs, anyways. It just made dealing with everyone seem a lot more difficult, and a lot of stepping on eggshells. Maybe Bowser could at least tell him what everyone’s triggers were without a moral dilemma.

Before Comet could even finish turning his head back to Bowser to ask, they were already speaking a mile a minute.

“I’m sorry! I-I just- I’m sure you understand we should respect their decisions to tell you or not! I’m sorry, is there anything else I can help you with? I’m very good at helping! With _anything_ else!” Bowser’s smile was far too wide, and their shoulders far too stiff. “I’m sorry, please don’t be upset.”

“wha- i-i’m not upset,” Comet fumbled for words, completely and utterly fucking confused. The mood had once again shifted suddenly, Bowser visibly uncomfortable and nervous. Comet hadn’t even _done_ anything this time!... Well, it didn’t _seem_ like he’d done anything. He was really making an effort to not be an asshole, and he’d thought he was doing okay so far. “i’m really not upset, okay?... you can cool it.”

“Okay! I’m sorry.” Bowser hardly looked convinced. They dug their claws into their towel, tearing holes in the fabric.

So much for friend number 3.

The shower curtain was suddenly yanked back and Ray stepped out, already in a bathrobe but her hair still dripping water. She almost slipped on the tile as she sped over to the sink. “Hey, Comet, why don’t you help me grab everyone’s pajamas, and you can pick some out for yourself?” Ray offered her hand to Comet for a ride. But unlike before when she’d made it clear she wouldn’t push him or make him uncomfortable, this time she seemed insistent he come along. She nudged his leg with her hand, and for a moment he thought she might just scoop him up anyways if he refused. He really didn’t want to, but he didn’t seem to have a choice, so he climbed up and sat in her palm anyways.

Ray wrapped a thumb around Comet’s waist. He was pretty sure she wasn’t doing it to make him uncomfortable. He was _pretty sure._ She was probably just making sure he wouldn’t fall as she lifted him away from the counter. Knowing that didn’t make her grip, however light it was, feel any less restricting to Comet.

“WAIT, I CAN HELP, TOO!” Bowser insisted, the lights in their sockets shrunken to pinpricks in distress. “MOMMA, I CAN HELP!”

Chips quickly came up to their side, reaching up to wrap an arm around their shoulder. “hey, bowz, ya wanna help me clean up a lil’ so momma won’t hafta when she gets back?”

“...Okay.” Bowser agreed halfheartedly before bouncing back, letting Ray know about the change in plans. “MOMMA, WE’RE GOING TO HELP CLEAN UP INSTEAD!”

“Thanks, guys,” the human gave them both a quick kiss to their skulls before rushing out of the bathroom, where her smile immediately fell and she let out a heavy sigh. 

Comet was acutely aware of the uncomfortable silence between them as she walked through the hall.

They arrived at the bedroom, small and cozy by human standards. It was still large to a bitty, furnished with a human-sized bed, a chest of drawers, a bookshelf, bedside tables, and a two-story bitty house at the foot of the bed. Comet had never seen one before, they were too fancy for his little pet shop. That alone told him they were expensive, and a two-story house with multiple bedrooms must have been a pretty penny. There were several bitty ladders scattered all over the room, leading up to the bed, tables, and bookshelf.

Ray came up to the chest of drawers and set him down on top of it, not even sparing him a glance at first. She started rummaging through one of the topmost drawers and began laying out some bitty-sized pajamas. She was quiet for several more moments before she finally spoke up. “So…”

“it’s not my fault, i didn’t mean to make anybody upset. i didn’t do anything on purpose this time.” Comet didn’t know why he thought Ray needed to know that. She didn’t care if he’d done it on purpose or not.

She rubbed a hand over her face and sighed. She looked really tired. “I know, I know you didn’t… It’s just-”

“you gonna take me back?”

He didn’t realize he’d said it until Ray started gawking at him, but Comet knew he couldn’t be far off. He’d been here for all of one evening, not even a full day. And yet, he’d already offended everyone here at least once, and triggered at least 3 traumatized rescue bitties. If he was a human, he'd have already dumped his ass back where he’d found it.

“Comet, I’m not going to-”

“i know you’re mad. you should be, i’m an asshole.”

“Comet, I’m not mad,” Ray cooed, reaching out to stroke a thumb across his skull, but not forcing it on him when he ducked away from it. “Look, this introductory and transitional stage is all pretty normal. It’s not your fault. And I’m not going to take you back just because you’re having trouble getting settled. _Everyone_ is, every rescue I’ve taken in has, and that’s just to be expected.”

“m’not a rescue,” Comet scoffed, “but like fuck it’s _normal_ for a someone to piss off and upset every single one of these guys on their first day.”

The human sighed again, but this time she was smiling. “You’d be surprised. A lot of the bitties I’ve taken in have caused _some_ kind of trouble, whether they meant to or not, and _all_ of them have had trouble adjusting.”

Comet rolled his eyes. “yeah sure.”

“...Okay, today might have been a little more difficult than usual, but it was mostly my fault,” Ray admitted. “I thought you’d get along with everyone a lot… smoother than you did. I should have told you everyone’s triggers in the car so you couldn’t accidentally upset them. That was why I wanted to step away from everyone for a minute, just so I could let you know.”

“oh,” Comet mumbled, narrowing his eye sockets in scrutiny. “when i asked bowser they said it was too personal to talk about. and then they got all weird.”

“Well, you asked about everyone’s ‘tragic backstory’, which _is_ pretty personal. They don’t mind letting you know what to avoid if it means keeping themselves from having a panic attack. And Bowser got weird because they were worried you’d be mad at them for not telling you. They think that if you don’t like them, you’ll start ignoring them, and that’s what they’re most afraid of right now. That’s why they try so hard to be helpful. I know you might think it’s annoying. Sometimes they can be overbearing. But please, just let them help if they want to. If you need a break you can divert their attention or let me know and I’ll take care of it. Just don’t flat-out ignore them, okay?”

"oh." Bowser had been trying to help him all night, and whenever Comet had brushed off their attempts they'd simply follow up with a different offer. He had thought it might be a need to be liked, and maybe that was still a factor, but a fear of being ignored made a lot of sense... 

"Comet?"

"yeah," he agreed, averting his gaze to stare down at the wood grain of the chest of drawers. "ok. what about the others?"

“Alright. Bo and Wemble are the ones you really need to be the most careful around. They don’t think very highly about themselves, so just… don’t let them feel like they’re annoying you, even if they are. Just divert their attention or let me know if you need some time alone, like with Bowser. I’ll handle it.” Ray sighed, sounding tired once again. “Wemble is claustrophobic, and likes to be out in the open. Bo is _afraid_ being out in the open, and likes hiding in little nooks and crannies. But, Bo is still extremely attached to Wemble. They can’t handle being separated for more than a few minutes, and even suggesting it can make them panic.

"Socks probably won't talk to you much. They don't really talk to anyone. They’re blind, so if you're coming up next to them just let them know you're there. Just a 'hello' is fine, just so you don’t startle them. And don't touch them. They let Cricket get touchy with them, but they only really tolerate the rest of us. Socks doesn’t know you yet, so you could really scare them.

"Cricket is mostly quiet, too. He’s pretty protective of Socks and the others, so that’s why he’s pretty upset with you right now. Honestly, once he warms up to you I bet he’ll start trying to mother hen you like he does with Socks. He doesn’t mind if you’re curious and ask about the pregnancy, but don’t ask about the other parent.

“And you’ve already had a few run-ins with Chips tonight, so you know he’s also very defensive and protective of the others. And he-”

“yeah, he’s not good with teasing,” Comet interrupted. “robin told me he gets all riled up. what about robin?”

“Not much about him, actually,” Ray answered, voice lighter when talking about the Raspberry bitty. “He’s recovered really well, but he was in a lot better shape than most of the other rescues when he first got here. Like you.”

“not a rescue, but okay.”

“Right, sorry,” the human only sounded amused, when Comet looked up he saw she was now smiling genuinely. Rude. “Any questions?”

“nah. i think i got it.”

“Good. Here, pick out some pajamas. Everyone shares anyways, so pick whatever you want,” Ray gestured to the drawer she’d been rummaging through before grabbing some clothes of her own and heading to the closet. “I’m going to get changed in here so we both get some privacy, hollar for me when you’re decent.”

“uh, hey, wait a sec.” The human turned back to look at him, and Comet lost a little of his nerve, staring back down at his feet instead of meeting her eyes. “uh, thanks. for all that. good to know. and i’m, uh... sorry. about earlier. being an asshole, and all that… i really am. sorry.” He only managed to spit it out through gritted teeth, because he was a little bitch. It probably made his already pathetic apology seem a lot less legit, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Ray didn’t believe him and laughed in his face.

“Hey. Comet.” She stubbornly waited until he lifted his head, but even then he only gave her a glance. She was giving him that same kind of smile that had pissed him off so much earlier, and it was still kind of annoying, but it looked a little bit more genuine than before. “I appreciate it. I know that wasn’t easy. I’m proud of you.”

Okay he literally couldn’t fucking help himself. “oh my god. come _on._ there’s no way you didn’t hear how condescending that was.”

Ray snorted. “I am, though! Trust me, if you can say to Chips and Cricket what you just said to me, I know they’ll be willing to forgive you, Comet.”

Comet rolled his eyes and pointedly ignored her last comment, turning away and pretending to focus on the pajama drawer.

(yeah, alright, sure. we’ll see.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a very loose idea of where this fic is going, but I'm having fun with it! :D Comments and prompts keep me going, so if you have any suggestions or anything you'd like to see next, let me know here or at my tumblr! Thank you so much for reading I love you!! :D  
> insert-font-name-here.tumblr.com


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